A card is disclosed that is able to adhere to a printed product, and in particular, a card that includes coded personal information for an individual.
Cards (e.g., credit or gift cards) generally can be categorized into two groups: non-personalized and personalized. Non-personalized cards do not contain any information associated with the intended recipient or addressee. The card can include standard printed information such as advertising information on the front and back as well as a generic bar code (typically on the back). The bar code can be read at the retailer to identify discount information, promotion type, and possibly a printed product (e.g., magazine title) with which the card was associated. This information can be used by the retailer to track the success of various promotions. A personalized card can include all the information of the non-personalized card, but also can include personal or non-generic information (e.g., coded personal information embedded in a bar code that is representative of personal information) such as an addressee's address, preferences, income level, buying habits, etc.
One type of card is a “clean release” card. Clean release cards are adhered to printed products such that, when removed by the recipient, a two-sided adhesive layer remains affixed to the printed product so that the back side of the card is not tacky (i.e., “clean”). Clean release cards are supplied on a paper backing layer along with a two-sided adhesive layer. When a clean release card is removed from the backing layer, the two-sided adhesive comes off of the backing layer with the card so that the exposed side of the two-sided adhesive layer can be adhered to a publication. Clean release cards are traditionally adhered to an interior page within the publication. Traditionally, clean release cards do not include personalized information on the back of the card (i.e., the paper backing prevents access to the back of the card from the time of manufacturing up until the time that the card is removed from the paper backing to be adhered to a printed product).
A common type of removable card used when personalized information must be printed on the back is a tip-on card. Tip-on cards are affixed to the printed products by a spot gluing process using a tipper or pick-n-place device. This process adheres the tip-on card to the printed products using releasable glue, but it does not firmly hold the edges of the tip-on card against the printed product making it unsuitable for being applied to the cover (or exposed surface) of a printed product as any loose corner may cause interference and jamming in mailing operations and/or premature release of the tip-on card. In order for personalized tip-on cards to be spot glued on the cover of a printed product and be acceptable for mailing, the printed product must be placed in a poly bag, envelope, or poly or paper wrapping, which adds handling time and expense.